RENO – For the sixth year in a row, the National Research Corporation (NRC) awarded Renown Health with the Consumer Choice award. NRC rated Renown Health as a top hospital for 2009-2010 based on four essential consumer metrics: best overall quality, best image and reputation, best doctors and best nurses.

The award identifies hospitals that health care consumers have chosen as having the highest quality and image in more than 250 markets throughout the U.S. This is the 14th year NRC has awarded hospitals whose consumers have recognized them for providing the highest quality healthcare.

The award is given after the NRC does an annual study of 300 markets across the country. Consumers are asked more than 20 questions regarding health care in their communities. Four of the questions from the survey are rolled up into the results for the Consumer Choice Award. The questions probed consumers’ thoughts on the best hospital in the area for doctors, nurses, overall quality, and image and reputation.

The 2009-2010 Healthcare Market Guide Ticker is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive study of its kind. No other study used to measure hospital performance and preferences contains more consumer responses than NRC’s study. The study has a margin of error of + or – 0.2 percent at a national level. Co-winners are named when scores fall within the statistical margin of error for a given market.

National Research Corporation (NASDAQ: NRCI) is an industry leader, with more than two decades of experience in health care performance measurement and improvement.